My Unexpected Journey through Birth & Adoption

Month: January 2015

So go ahead, call me crazy. I know that’s what at least a few of my friends will be doing when I share my latest goal.

It really isn’t that outrageous of an endeavor, its more that I’m adding another item to my already long to do list. Last week, to celebrate the amazing Seahawks win I decided to register for the Seahawks 12k. I love this race!

I stopped running nine months ago and haven’t made time for it since. That all changed this morning. I hit the treadmill for a 30 minute run to start getting back in shape.

For me, the point of running isn’t to take first place. (Which is a good thing, cause it will never happen.) It’s about making time for myself, proving that I can do what I set my mind to and feeling my body getting stronger.

I also like the side benefit of showing my kids it’s important to exercise. So when I get frustrated with my family, all with noses next to a screen, I’m not a hypocrite when I insist they put down their device and move their bodies.

Yes, we are Seattle Seahawks fans. Having the Seahawks in the play-offs for the second year in a row is like extending the holidays an extra six weeks. I love the way our community comes together to cheer on our team. Everywhere you go people are sporting their Seahawk gear, wearing blue and 12 is our favorite number. The NFC Championship game today was a nail biter and difficult to watch. But our guys came through, never gave up and found a way to win. I love how this team is a testament to how hard work, preparation, determination and faith are the keys to success. Having these characteristics will help a person through good times and bad … and maybe even take you to the Super Bowl!

Another crazy week. My team was responsible for a big conference this week, something we hadn’t done before. It was a huge undertaking and the stakes were pretty high. So glad to report we did it!

I was part of another team this week that also helped make it happen. That was my “home team.” The husband was on full-time kid duty and we asked our kids to be extra patient and kind. My home team came through too. I couldn’t have done it without them.

On Wednesday I managed to get home about 10 minutes before bedtime. Theo greeted me with a cheerful “Hey Mom!” and Rhys started talking a mile a minute. I didn’t know it was humanly possible for someone’s lips to move so quickly. Maybe we have an auctioneer in the making.

Rhys was excited to share the game she made for us, what the rules were and she was ready to play. I hadn’t eaten in hours, my feet hurt and my head was still full from the previous 14 hours of work. Feel the love, I reminded myself, You’re so lucky to be missed and wanted. I was mentally summoning 30 more minutes of energy to make the most of the time I had with my kiddos.

While the husband heated up some left overs for me to quickly eat before helping with the bedtime routine, I sat down and played the game with Rhys. She made my day.

It was a tiring and successful week. It was also a great reminder that you just can’t do it all by yourself.

What a crazy week! As if returning to school and work after a two week break wasn’t enough, my team is responsible for delivering a major project on January 12th. To bring it in on time, meant all hands on deck and even then a few of us put in fifteen hour days.

On Thursday night I called home about 7:30. I wanted to let my family know I was on the way home, would miss the bedtime routine but would come in to give hugs and kisses. My husband let me know our daughter had some big news.

“I lost my wiggly tooth!” I heard her yell over the phone.

“Woo Hoo!” I hollered back.

Arriving home an hour later, I went straight to my daughter’s room to give her hugs as promised. She bolted to a seated position as I opened the door and exclaimed “Dad pulled my tooth out with the plunger! Look at my gap!”

“He did what?” I asked laughing and shaking my head as I walked over to her bed.

“He pulled my super wiggly tooth out with the plunger! Can you see the gap?” She opened her mouth wider and pointed to the spot where here two bottom teeth used to be.

“Do you mean the pliers sweetie?” I asked still laughing.

“Oh yeah, pliers. Cause my tooth was too slippery,” she nodded her head and smiled up at me with her eyes wide.

We chatted for another few minutes before I gave her the promised hugs and kisses, tucked her back into bed and wished her sweet dreams. I was still laughing quietly to myself as I shut her bedroom door.

My husband can be pretty creative when he has to improvise, but I am confident a plunger isn’t in his bag of tricks for extracting loose teeth.

Life moves a mile a minute and sometimes even faster. It’s a great relief to stop every once and awhile to enjoy the moment.

Oh, and I’ll never look at a plunger the same way again.

A quick note about protecting the innocent. During our family hike today we talked about new names for everyone. After several vetoes, we settled on Theo for my 10 year old son and Rhys for my 5 year old daughter. The husband, he’s still deciding. So for now, he’ll simply remain known as “the husband.”

After a welcome two week break tomorrow brings a return to normally scheduled programming. Kids will be back to school, homework and Tae Kwon Do. I’ll be back to work, which is sure to keep me on my toes as we prepare for the delivery of a big project on January 12th.

Our family enjoyed a great two weeks together that included a couple of special outings for a each of the kids, a few family hikes and lots of playing with new Christmas toys and gadgets. My daughter and I even found time for a couple craft projects we hadn’t tried before. Both projects turned out to be fun and frustration free.

As I get ready to prepare dinner, I’m already hoping both bedtime tonight and wake-up tomorrow isn’t too rough. My fingers are crossed that everything will go smoothly but I’m also realistic. It won’t be easy for any of us to go to bed early and I know that when my alarm goes off at 5:00 tomorrow morning I’ll likely groan more than once.

All good things must come to an end and this holiday break was one of our best.

Interesting article in today’s New York Times about The Japanese Prime Minister’s efforts to support women, moms in particular, in growing their careers.
I’m excited to see support for women in achieving their career goals and an acknowledgement that there’s a meaningful difference in the realities men and women face in the workplace.
I’m also glad to see continued focus on this issue and the media’s willingness to keep the conversation going about the challenges women face when trying to achieve their personal and professional goals.
What I’m struggling with in this article is what the title implies. Career moms, in order to realize their goals, must become super-human. We must become Supermom, in order to achieve parity with our male counterparts.
What about men becoming Superdads? What about support for men to take on an equal share of childcare and other domestic responsibilities?
Let’s continue the conversation, lovingly raise our kids and look for ways to support each other without expecting anyone to be super-human on an every day basis.
What do you think? Jump in and join the conversation.

The boys (my husband and 10 year old son) have been waiting to go skiing for months. So earlier this week they decided to kick off the new year on the slopes. With the boys gone, it meant a girls’ day for my daughter and me.

My daughter loves to stay busy, fluttering through the house from one activity to another. A planned craft activity usually helps the day go smoother for both of us. Today’s activity was making soap crayons. We’d seen the recipe on Creative Galaxy, an Amazon Original children’s program available through Amazon Instant Video.

To make the soap crayons use a standard handheld kitchen grater to grate about half a bar of white Ivory soap into a medium size mixing bowl. Add 1.5 tablespoons of warm water to the bowl and mash the soap shavings and water together with a fork. When well mixed, add five drops of standard food coloring and use your hands to knead it into the soup. After it’s well blended, press the soap into metal cookie cutters to form shapes. Freeze for about 30 minutes to set the soap.

Our hands were covered in food coloring and soap when we were finished pressing the soap into the cookie cutters, but clean up is a snap. Just rub your hands together under warm water and you’re all cleaned up. Well, except for the grater, bowl and fork.

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